The Reason for WHY…

Sometimes, we just need to know – why.. 

Strategy, change, direction, commitment, alignment (and many others) should always be accompanied by the all-powerful ‘why’ statement.  Why are we doing this? Sometimes, the simplest thing of describing why is overlooked or not fully explained, mostly, because it’s taken for granted that the ‘why’ is already understood by all.

Simple question - if I asked you to climb an 800-foot incline on the side of a cliff that was partially washed out and did not supply good footing, would you do it? Probably not. But, if I explain why you should do it – because life on this side is perilous but on the other side there is a beautiful crystal blue lake, fresh food, amazing new wildlife - than would you do it? That is the power of WHY… 

I have been in the IT business for 23 years and the reason why we are doing something has always been important for me. Now, during the most turbulent times I have ever seen, it’s even MORE important to describe why we are doing something and why we need to do it. We will not be successful if we don’t explain why we have to accelerate, why this is important or why we need to charge up that mountain. Teams don’t just execute, they need to understand why they should execute.  

This all starts with understanding the why. If your heart and mind understand the rationale of why we are doing something – then as leaders, you can better describe it to your teams and motivate the movement in that direction. I have seen too many times where leaders don’t explain why we are doing something and just want us to act robotically. This approach can work short term and I would argue only during the good times. This approach will not be effective long term or during tumultuous times. The pace at which companies and organizations need to move (now more than ever) is accelerating and it needs to be done more methodically. The world has evolved, and it is our responsibility as leaders to evolve with it.  

Be more descriptive with the why. Take time to explain the rationale. This will be more effective in the long-term.  

Everybody wants to see the other side of the mountain - if you take the time to describe and help them understand the WHY.